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1 [1] (September 22, 2015)

handle is hein.crs/crsmthmaolh0001 and id is 1 raw text is: CRS INSIGHT Canada's October 2015 Elections September 22, 2015 (IN10343) Related Policy Issue North America Canada an Mexic Peter J. Meyer, Analyst in Latin American Affairs (pevera~crs bc go 7-5474) Ian F. Fergusson, Specialist in International Trade and Finance (ifergusson(,cradccgo, 7-4997) Canada's next election is scheduled for October 19, 2015. It is being held at a time of slowing economic growth and ongoing controversies over anti-terrorism legislation and Canada's role in combating the Islamic State. The outcome of the election may have implications for the United States, which is Canada's largest trading partner, largest energy consumer, and NATO ally (see CRS Report 96-397, Canada-US. Relations). Electoral System Canada is a constitutional monarchy (Elizabeth II is Queen of Canada) with a bicameral Westminster-style Parliament that includes an elected House of Commons and an appointed Senate. In the upcoming election, 338 Members of Parliament will be elected from individual districts (ridings) under a first-past-the-post system, which only requires a plurality of the vote to win a seat. The party winning the most seats typically gets the first chance to form a government. A government lasts as long as it can command a parliamentary majority for its policies, for a maximum of four years. If no single party holds a majority of seats, a minority government can be formed that attempts to pass legislation on a vote-by-vote basis. If a government loses a vote of confidence, new elections can be called, or the Governor-General (the Queen's representative) can offer other parties a chance to form a government. Major Political Parties Three major national parties are competing for votes. The incumbent C ne ive Pa , led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, has been in power since 2006, and has governed with a majority since winning 166 seats in the last election in 2011. The Conservatives are running on their management of the economy during the recovery from the 2008 financial crisis and the enactment of anti-terrorism legislation following the Parliam n Hill shootings of October 2014. However, the recent decline in the price of oil has taken a toll on the economy, which is now in recession, and the anti- terrorism law has proved controversial. It includes increased surveillance, greater information sharing among government agencies, and new powers for Canadian authorities to disrupt suspected plots. Harper has also been faulted for not following through on his pledge to reform the Canadian Senate, many members of which have been implicated in scandals in recent years. The Ne Dem ri P (NDP), led by Thomas Mulcair, is the Official Opposition. The NDP achieved a breakthrough in the 2011 election, making significant gains in Quebec at the expense of the separatist Bloq Quebecois and supplanting the Liberal Party as the main left-of-center party in Parliament with 103 seats. Mulcair's NDP has differentiated itself from both the Conservatives and the Liberals by opposing the anti-terrorism law on civil-liberties